EPA should recognize all drinking water and wastewater systems as eligible recipients of funding under the agency’s new Water Workforce Infrastructure Development Grant Program, four water sector associations wrote in a letter earlier in January. The letter, which was signed by AWWA, NACWA, and WEF, in addition to AWMA, came soonRead More

In December, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized the Fifth Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR 5) to establish nationwide monitoring for 29 per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and lithium in drinking water. The agency said the action is essential to addressing the public health and environmental risks of PFASRead More

NACWA and other water sector organizations sent a letter last week to the Biden Administration regarding implementation of the Buy America, Build America (BABA) requirements that were signed into law as part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). The letter builds upon concerns the sector raised while IIJA was moving through Congress. While waterRead More

NACWA held a virtual meeting Jan. 6 with U.S. EPA Assistant Administrator for Water Radhika Fox and other senior EPA Office of Water staff to discuss implementation issues and distribution of funds from the recently passed bipartisan infrastructure legislation, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). The meeting follows a letter that NACWA sentRead More

On Dec. 16, 2021, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) long-awaited Lead and Copper Rule Revisions (LCRR) took effect, nearly a year after they were finalized by the then-outgoing Trump Administration. The Biden administration marked the occasion by announcing a new Lead Pipe and Paint Action Plan that will seek to achieveRead More

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael S. Regan announced that the agency will begin developing a new regulation to better protect communities from exposure to lead in drinking water. EPA says it is committed to using every tool available—statutory authority under the Safe Drinking Water Act, technical assistance, funding and more—to protectRead More

The Water Environment Federation (WEF), in collaboration with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), has launched the NutrientSmart (NSmart) program to help reduce nutrient loadings in waterways and recognize the water utilities that are leaders and innovators. NSmart will begin as a pilot program and encourage the adoption of enhancedRead More

When you think about examples of great innovation, it’s easy to think about things like modern technology. The smart phone. Steve Jobs. A bold vision to change the status quo with a groundbreaking product or service. In the water/wastewater utility sector, that same kind of long-term, innovative vision for groundbreakingRead More

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that 39 new projects are being invited to apply for Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) loans and four projects are being added to a waitlist. The agency anticipates that, as funds become available, $6.7 billion in WIFIA loans will help financeRead More

After months of negotiation and several delayed votes, the U.S. House of Representatives approved the bipartisan, $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act this month, which was first approved by the Senate in August. President Joe Biden signed the bill into law on Monday. According to the Association of MetropolitanRead More